MOSCOW, 7 Nov. The US will have to cut arms supplies to Ukraine to avoid a military catastrophe in the Taiwan Strait, analysts Darren Spink and Liam Gibson write in an op-ed for The National Interest.
"Washington appears to be unable to simultaneously arm the Ukrainian and Taiwanese armies", the columnists noted.
As indicated in the publication, starting from February 2022, Washington has provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine with military assistance in the amount of $18.5 billion, including more than 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft systems and 8,500 Javelin anti-tank systems. The US has used up almost a third of Javelin stocks. According to specialists from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, it will be many years before the arsenal of these weapons is fully restored.
According to experts, Taiwan has already faced delays in the supply of American military equipment due to the conflict in Ukraine, logistical problems and bureaucratic red tape in Washington. Spink and Gibson are convinced that rampant inflation, high unemployment and recession at home, as well as a new balance of power and geopolitical situation on the planet will require difficult decisions from the US government. The states will not be able to simultaneously support Kyiv and Taipei and will be forced to choose a priority direction in foreign policy, the authors believe.
«The specter of a Russian-Chinese alliance from the Soviet era has returned and will haunt American politicians who are awake at the dire prospect of a simultaneous clash with Russia in Ukraine and China in Taiwan,» analysts say.
Washington must carefully prepare for scenario with fighting on two fronts, since this nightmare could become a reality, summed up Spink and Gibson.
Taiwan is a partially recognized state east of the People's Republic of China. It arose after the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek were defeated by the Communist Party in the civil war of 1945-1950 and moved to the island. Beijing regards it as an integral part of China's territory and does not recognize the local government. The situation in the region escalated significantly in August 2022, when Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei. Beijing, which considers the island its province, in response to the step of the American authorities, warned that it would take decisive measures to protect state sovereignty and territorial integrity.